Guilt by Association – Barack Obama and John McCain

We all knew it would come to this. It was inevitable. Even after John McCain had announced publicly, along with his wife, that he would not stoop to this level, the stone throwing is now in full throttle. But what does all of this really mean to accomplish?

Over the past week, Governor Sarah Palin has announced that she has “taken the gloves off” and has launched a personal attack on Senator Barrack Obama…backed by Senator John McCain…telling anyone who will listen about Senator Obama’s past association with people who have a not so nice history – Reverend Wright(controversial pastor) and William Ayers(former member of the 60’s Radical Group – The Weather Underground).

In return, Senator Obama has launched his own counter-attack by reminding people about John McCain’s past association with the same amount of people with a not so nice past – the Keating 5 (Banking Scandal 1980’s) and The US Council for World Freedom (Iran Contra Scandal).

Now that we’ve pulled open the curtain to everyone’s dressing room, can we at least admit that we all have seen each other’s underwear? Are we embarrassed? We should be.

We could spend an awful lot of time going over everyone’s past to see who they sat next to on the bus or stood behind in the check out line at the Supermarket, but what is that showing us? That we don’t always know the person we are standing next too? Every person in this world can be accused of “Guilt by Association”…that doesn’t mean the association reflects the individual. We all know that. Now let’s move on. Hey, how ‘bought those Red Sox??

What I find offensive is the fact that the public, not the media, are not taking a stand on the tell tale issues of our politicians. Why is Governor Palin allowed to claim “Executive Privilege” during an investigation when her platform is “Transparent government” and “taking on the Old Boys Way of Politics”. Or how about that she is refusing to participate in an investigation that is investigating her role as Governor?

And what about the issue of “Pork Barrel Spending”? Did you see all that was stuffed into last week’s Bail Out? We’ll here it is:

Auto racing tracks: $128 million

Small- to medium-sized film producers: $10 million

Manufacturers of wooden arrows: $6 million

Corporations in American Samoa: $33 million

Rum producers in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands: $192 million

Fishermen and others who suffered from the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989: $223 million

How did this happen when John McCain has preached about his lengthy track record of fighting “Pork Barrel Spending”? Yes, all three Senators, McCain, Obama, and Biden, signed the Bail Out. But it’s McCain’s platform to reform of Pork Barrel Spending. Didn’t I see him at a Nascar Rally lately?

And how about the issue that is stuck in my craw…Iraq has a surplus of Millions in their banks and America has a deficit of Trillions… (I would say in our banks, but I don’t know if will have any left by the time I publish this article).

We’re getting hosed people and we’re not saying anything about it.

Let’s ask these questions:

Why is it that the only people allowed to speak at a rally are those in support of the candidate? Oh wait, that’s the McCain/Palin Rally rule. But I guess you know that by now.

Why are reporters kept locked inside the press booth at the Palin Rally in Florida? Is this the Republican way of running a positive campaign?

And finally…When have we had enough? When are we going to be so outraged at the blatant misrepresentation of our intelligence and our expectations that we stand up and challenge them ourselves? Who are we that we can be so blinded by the truth that we are more than happy to be distracted by something so trivial.